“What actions are being taken today to stop the treatment of Native American children as it hasn’t been shown in the news?”

Since 2005, the Lakota People’s Law Project has been partnering with tribes and leaders in South Dakota to challenge more than 150 years of injustice against Native American families. We combine law, research, education and organizing in a unique model for social reform.

Currently, our efforts center around the Lakota Child Rescue Project as we fight for the return of more than 2,000 Lakota children illegally taken from their homes by state authorities. We are compiling court-admissible evidence and preparing a federal civil lawsuit on behalf of Lakota tribes and families to free the children and stop South Dakota’s egregious abuses of the Indian Child Welfare Act. In the long-term, we are building toward the renewal of Lakota culture and society through the realization of Seven Strategic Objectives.

Our work is led by a experienced team and guided by an advisory board of leading experts on Native American issues. We are a project of the nonprofit Romero Institute, and our work is sustained through the generosity of our supporters.